Jane Edwards 
- LaunchReady spans mission planning through launch execution
- Seagate Space runs mobile offshore spaceports
- Initial work targets missile defense and hypersonic testing
Aurex has introduced LaunchReady, an integrated launch support offering, and formed a strategic partnership with Seagate Space to advance offshore launch capabilities for national defense, civil and commercial customers.
Aurex said Monday it will provide engineering and mission support for launches from Seagate Space’s mobile Gateway offshore platforms. The companies plan to use the arrangement to support responsive space access and recurring offshore launch campaigns.
What Is LaunchReady?
LaunchReady is Aurex’s integrated launch support offering, which places the company’s engineering and operational services under one team to serve customers from mission planning through launch operations.
The offering covers mission architecture and planning, modeling and simulation, cybersecurity and cryptographic integration, secure communications and telemetry, hardware and payload development, and payload and launch integration.
What Are the Focus Areas of the Aurex-Seagate Space Collaboration?
The initial collaboration, which draws on Seagate Space’s mobile Gateway platforms for orbital, suborbital and hypersonic test missions, covers three areas:
- National defense and responsive launch: Supporting missile defense, hypersonic testing and responsive space access, with Aurex providing mission engineering, integration and technical support.
- Multiuser offshore spaceport operations: Developing Gateway platforms to host multiple launch providers and recurring missions, with Aurex handling mission planning, launch integration, range coordination and execution.
- Commercial and civil space access: Expanding the use of Seagate Space’s offshore infrastructure among commercial launch providers and civil space customers, with Aurex offering engineering and mission support as needed.
What Did Aurex & Seagate Space Officials Say About the Partnership?
Warren Kohm, CEO of Aurex, said LaunchReady assigns a coordinated team to carry a customer’s requirements from early planning into mission execution and described the Seagate Space collaboration as a chance to apply that approach to offshore launch.
“Our customers need capabilities that work together to move their missions forward,” Kohm noted.
Sean Fortener, co-founder and president of Seagate Space, said the company was founded to move launch operations past the limits of traditional spaceports and out to sea, adding that its Gateway platforms are intended to bring mobility and flexibility to the industry.
“Seagate enables the launch. Aurex supports the mission. Together, we’re creating new opportunities for national defense and commercial customers to access space on their terms,” Fortener stated.
What Is Aurex?
Aurex is a Huntsville, Alabama-based aerospace and defense company that provides engineering, integration and mission support services, drawing on its experience supporting national defense missions. It is a portfolio company of Godspeed Capital.
What Other Moves Has Aurex Made Recently?
LaunchReady builds on a year of capability expansion at Aurex. In January, the company completed its acquisition of Alpha 2 to broaden its secure communications and cryptographic engineering offerings.
In an Executive Spotlight interview, Kohm discussed the company’s support for NASA’s Artemis II mission, including its DICES secure voice-over-internet-protocol system for launch operations, as well as its push into hardware development.
The company has since advanced its GHOST-AI and CASTER-AI capabilities for hypersonics, fire control and battle management applications. It also named Bob Jurenko vice president of business development to build new customer relationships and promote its expanding product portfolio.
